Demonstuck
by Oleander Grimm
Summary: I'll rename it later. It's rated T for some language, and gore, but that's all. This is a AU where the world is ravaged by demons, and will tell the stories of it's survivors- and others ;). For the purpose of making sense, there won't be any of the Alpha kids. I'm sorry about that! And please review. If there are any errors, I'd like to know
1. I'm Proud of You, Son

The sun was setting quickly, and John Egbert boarded up their apartment for the night as the last of their group came home. Night was when the demons came out, everyone knew better than to stay out past sunset.

The Striders were always the first out in the morning, and the last to come back, almost always too late. The rule was that no matter who was still out there, at sunset they locked up. No exceptions. Jade was always worried that they might not make it one day, but John doubted it. They were risky, sure, but not stupid.

"There's more harlequins out than usual," Dave explained as his Bro joined the other adults. "And they're getting more violent,"

"Do you think they'll let us into their meeting?" John asked half-heartedly.

"No, man. Just join us. I've got the AJ, it'll be a thousand times better than their shitty meetings,"

"Alright, Dave, I'll join you guys in a sec,"John goes to catch his dad before he left for the meeting.

"Oh and hey John. Happy Birthday, bro,"

"Yeah,"

The Egberts were in charge of keeping the headquarters safe while the others were out hunting the demons. John longed to join his friends out there, but his dad said that he could once he became 'a man', and that staying back was just as important as fighting the monsters. To cheer him up, his dad would leave cakes and notes of encouragement for him every day. At first, John was excited to grow up, and loved the gifts. But now the charm of the notes was gone, and John can't stand the sight of cake. He was 13 now, for crying out loud.

It was the same as usual. "John, it takes a lot of responsibility to hunker down at home base. They need us here. You'll understand when you're older,"

"But I am older! I'm not a child,"

"You're not a man, yet. Don't worry about it for now," Dad left it at that, and went to his meeting. John sighed, and joined his friends, but it was obvious he wasn't in it today.

It has been 7 years since the demons rose and attacked the earth. No one knew what they were exactly; there were many different kinds, but that didn't matter so much. They all killed mankind. Those who survived were broken; all traces of order were replaced by anarchy and chaos. Some people try to keep to the old ways, though. Rose read about other towns set up, but it was forbidden for them to go near. You didn't know who you could trust.

Their ragtag group wasn't exactly a town; just four broken-up families increasing their chances of survival by sticking together in an abandoned apartment. It's supposed to be safer that way, because there are less people to lose, yet more people to fight and protect one another.

Special dates like birthdays were important to them. It was one more year that you survived, and everyone valued survival. Yet John didn't feel special. Tomorrow would be another day staying here; nothing changed.

After a couple of hours, John and his friends disbanded; Rose and her mom had sentry duty tonight, while the rest tried to get a good sleep between the fits of nightmares.

On John's bed laid another cake, and antoher note. What a surprise. He had already gotten one today, but because it was his birthday, his dad decided to 'treat him'.

John threw the cake in the trash, and skimmed the note. More sap about how proud he was of John, and how much he's grown. He threw that in the trash, too.

_If he was so proud of me, why can't he trust me outside? _John thought. _If I've grown so much, why can't I decide for myself? I should decide for myself. Yeah…_

Early the next day, they had a quick breakfast, then the Striders, LaLondes, and Harleys equipped themselves for battle. Dad Egbert opened the gate and let them out. The gate was a magnificent design by Dave's Bro; made from bits and pieces of steel from rusty buildings, it could take quite a bit of damage and still stand its ground. The controls were deep in the basement, and only Dad and Bro knew how to operate it. John usually stood outside the door, in case anything tried to make a break for it first thing in the morning. This never happened.

Once the others were out, Dad closed the gate and went for his son. Today was a special day. Now that he was 13, John would learn how to operate the gate, just in case anything happen to Dad. He knew his son was anxious to do something to help, so he felt this would make up for it.

He went to the front lobby of the apartment, but strangely John wasn't there. He wasn't in his bedroom, or the bathroom or the kitchen. In fact, he doesn't seem to be anywhere.

Worried, Dad went to the weapons room, in what used to be a janitor's closet, just in case anything got to his son. To no one's surprise but his own, a Hammerkind was missing. John's weapon.

It was easy for John to sneak out. Once the others left, instead of staying and guarding the door, he simply went after them. It'd be stupid to follow the others; his friends might not mind as much, but their guardians would certainly tell his dad about it, and that would be the end of his escapades.

The familiar city that he used to know had degraded into rusting ruins, forgotten relics of a powerful nation, headed for the future. It was actually kind of beautiful; someone could say this was a commentary on the fall of consumerism and greed. If you ignored the hundreds of thousands of deaths that led to this.

By noon, John started to regret his decision to escape the apartment. He watched outside an old department store as some of the demons taking cover inside tore each other apart, for lack of any better meal. Watching from a safe distance, he recalled that he was never trained to fight demons, and that it was very stupid to go out alone. It was about time he got home.

A few feet later, John realized he didn't know where home was. He wandered so far off, and failed to keep track of which way he went, and was now lost. He tried to look for a familiar landmark, but he had never spent much time outside, so it all looked unfamiliar to him. John spent the afternoon going backwards, in the same direction. That's what you do if you're lost, right?

The days he spent in the apartment went by like molasses, slow and monotonous, but the rest of the day slipped through his fingers. Sunset was coming quickly, and fear was eating away at John's sanity. He was as good as dead. There was nothing that he could do, so John walked to a crumbling wall, sat down, and waited. Once again, time slowed to a crawl. John watched the sun set on the horizon, like a ticking time bomb to his death.

He felt like he was losing his mind, because he swore he saw someone coming to him. That someone looked like his dad. His dad couldn't possibly be here, he never left the apartment, and the apartment could be miles away for all he knew.

"John, get up! We have to go now!"

"What? Dad how did you-"

"No time, just go!" Dad took him by the arm, and they ran. John saw a different side of his dad that he never knew; the cheerful, goofy man was replaced by a harsher, more emotionally hardened man.

Night had hardened, and Dad Egbert was on edge. "Do you have your hammer?"

John nodded silently. "Keep it out, and be prepared," John nodded, but he didn't know how to be prepared. He said nothing though.

The demons came soon after night fell. It was the harlequins that Dave warned him about. They were black inkblots of beings wearing shredded clown costumes, with wild yellow eyes and sharp teeth, pulled across its face into a grotesque smile. They were more terrifying than John expected, especially since his dad used to love harlequins. Before their apocalyptic future, the Egbert's home was filled with harlequin statues and paintings. John hated those things, but never had he thought he'd be terrified of them.

The harlequins swarmed them; the demons they killed were quickly replaced. John fought randomly; aiming to hit multiple demons at once, but more often than not, he dodged and backed away. He was surprised by how well his dad fought. Dad Egbert had a sword; he swung, stabbed, parried and blocked like he had been doing this his whole life. John would have questioned how his dad how he learned to fight, but he was too busy trying not to die.

They ran as they fought, with Dad leading the way. Ironically, John was close to the apartment. John knew that the gate is locked by now, but he ran home anyways. Just being outside the gate made him feel safer.

_I will never leave the apartment again,_ John thought, resting his head against the cold metal gate. His thoughts were broken by a scream. In his hurry to get to the gate, John had left his dad behind. Terrified, and thinking of the worst that could happen, John turned around.

Sometimes, we tend to think of the absolute worst situation that could happen to us. These situations rarely happen, and afterwards we feel relieved and rather foolish of ourselves for even considering that possible outcome. This is not one of those times.

Dad Egbert had a harlequin hanging off of his shoulders, biting into his flesh. He threw the demon off, but they just kept coming. John couldn't speak; he could call for help or scream in horror, just watch as his dad was attacked.

There was a quiet moment, between two hoards of demons, one group killed and the other coming. John met his father's eyes. He couldn't tell whether the look was of sorrow, or regret, or shame. "Get inside," his dad said. Then the fighting ensued.

John felt a hand grab his shoulder, and jumped. It was Jade's grandfather. For the first time since John could remember, the gate was open after nightfall.

He took John away, and the gate closed behind them. John turned around for his father, and found that the demons had left him for dead. For some reason, they didn't bother eating him.

"Hey, what about my dad? He's there, we can save him!" John said, starting to go back. But he was restrained and quickly ushered inside.

John was told that his dad was truly gone. He would turn into a sort of hybrid demon; the appearance of a human, but with bloodshot eyes, and the wounds from their death. They thought that they left him to lure their group out, but no one could know. Maybe they just weren't hungry.

They wanted John to go to his room, but John refused, and sat at the door. Bro had the key, so as long as the doors stayed locked, John was allowed to stay there. No one could understand why. John never slept, just listened to his dad moan and call to him throughout the night.

His dad died slowly, painfully. His cries continued for hours. "John… Jooohn," John never cried during this, just stared off into nothing, a distant, pained look on his face.

When morning came, the adults discussed what to do with Dad's body. They knew they had to kill him themselves before the transformation into a hybrid is complete; they had about 12 hours to do this. After what felt like hours, Bro approached John.

"We're giving you the choice if you want to. I think that you should be the one to take care of your dad. It only seems fair, and it will prepare you for the future,"

"You mean, I'm going to learn how to fight?"

"Yeah. Even if you take your dad's place, you should know how to defend yourself in case shit like this happens," Bro was always blunt about things; right to the point and never sugarcoating the truth. "This is only if you want to, though. I'll do the job in that case,"

John didn't hesitate in answering. "I'll do it,"

Bro didn't question him. "Good luck, man," he said, giving John the keys out and going to the basement.

Dave was watching them attentively, and went to talk to him once Bro left. "You gonna be alright?" John nodded. "You're pretty cool, you know that? Not in the ironic sense either. I could never do this. It sucks that it had to happen, but you're taking it really well,"

"Yeah," John responded. He couldn't delay it any longer. Dave mumbled a good luck, and left.

The gate was already open when John went out. His dad was just outside, a trail of blood leading back to where he was attacked.

John wanted it to go quickly; get the job done and go back inside. But next to Dad's body was a note.

Shaking, John picked it up. He never paid attention to any of the other notes, but this time, John carefully read every word:

JOHN

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, YOU WILL HAVE ALREADY BECOME A MAN.

I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUD OF YOU.

I LOVE YOU, JOHN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SON

John stifled his sobs, trying not to cry. Not only would he be mentally unable to do the job, but the tears would cloud up his glasses.

John looked over at his dad. He had been bitten everywhere, blood and guts everywhere.

"I'm sorry, Dad," John whispered. He looked away, and swung.

_Dad has nothing to be proud of._


	2. Safe and Sound

**I'm baaaaaaack!**

**And I'm so sorry! It's been months since I worked on this. Between school, work, losing the notebook that had this chapter, and complete laziness. For the most part, I have no excuse, and I really do apologize.**

**That being said, somehow I got followers, and for that I'm grateful! Thank you so much for liking what I wrote. This chapter is focusing on a... _different_ group of people :) Enjoy, and if you have any suggestions, please tell me. I would love to improve and continue this.**

**Sincerely,**

**-Oleander Grimm**

Safe and Sound

A young girl looked out of the window of her new home, the sun creeping slowly from below the horizon. The past few weeks were a blur, but she distinctly remembered death, and suffering, and loss.

The girl and her friends didn't look that different, save for having grey skin and horns protruding from their head. And for this, they paid dearly.

Technically, they were demons. But until the other demons, they were humanoid in shape and personality. After watching other kinds of demons- and how the humans reacted to them- they renamed themselves trolls.

The young troll felt the steady warmth of the early morning sun wash over her. Like most demons, her sensitive skin burns easily, but these days she didn't mind. It was a reminder that she's still alive, and that despite all that has happened, the sun still rises everyday. Besides, if she kept the windows mostly drawn, the sun wouldn't bother her too badly.

"Kanaya! Get your ass away from the window. You know the rules,"

Kanaya sighed, and closed the window before heading towards the voice.

The rules were put in place while they were travelling to this house, as a precaution when they arrived. The rules were simple:

1\. Never go out of the house during daylight, and

2\. Never go near the humans.

After watching the humans murder their race; after finding each other, the last twelve of their kind, everyone gladly accepted to these rules. This didn't mean that everyone got along, though. Sometimes, Kanaya wondered how they haven't started killing each other yet.

The house they chose was a large Victorian mansion, one of the many abandoned houses in the city. Neither rich nor poor was safe. It was large enough that all twelve trolls had a room to themselves; yet sometimes they still felt too close for comfort.

Case in point: the last thing Kanaya wanted to deal with right now was their self-appointed leader, Karkat. He made up the rules and strictly enforced them. Though if Kanaya was being reasonable, she supposed that he did this all because he cares about them. She should be grateful. But at that moment, she felt that she did nothing wrong.

"What the fuck are you doing? You're going to get us all killed, standing out there in the fucking open!" Behind Karkat, some of the trolls rolled their eyes, while others fought to hold back their snickers; Terezi didn't hold back at all. No one took him seriously.

"I hate to inform you, but I was never outside. I remained inside our safe haven the entire time. I merely opened the windows to let some air in," Kanaya explained halfheartedly.

"You could be sighted! The humans would kill us all. I am sick of your fucking sass, all of you!" Karkat said, acknowledging the people behind him. "If you nooksuckers don't believe me, then you can leave now!"

That wiped the smiles on their face. While no one took him seriously, the rules were obeyed for this one reason.

"I thought so," he said, leaving for his room. The others were furious, but said nothing.

This was how it always was. But it wasn't always like this.

Before the massacre, in their old village, Karkat was... well he was still a angry, overdramtic kid. But it seemed like he cared then, no matter what he said. Now no one was sure.

The others left to stew in their anger. Kanaya was going to go to her room, when she heard a long, dramatic moan.

"Whyyyyyyyy does Karkat have to be such a whiny bitch?" Vriska stretched herself out on the couch. "Why are we so afraid of them? We never see more than two at one time. We outnumber them, we could take them on!"

Kanaya sighed. Out of all of them, Vriska has taken this the worst. She was restless, and pissed. Well, they all were. But she was like this back in their village, too. Always seeking out trouble out of boredom.

"While there may be two when we see them, they gather in larger groups at night. If they are provoked, they all wouldn't hesitate to kill us. Beside, they are trained to fight and kill demons," Kanaya explained.

"Well _I_ could take them on," Vriska bragged. "You probably could, too. We don't need these idiots. We could survive on our own!"

Kanaya wasn't sure what to say to that. The relationship she had with Vriska was... complicated, to say the least. Feelings went back and forth from complete hatred to something... more. It was hard to describe, but it felt like more than what they had right now. She wasn't sure. Since they left their village, things have gone cold between the two of them. Now all of a sudden Vriska was suggesting they run away together. Does it even mean something? Her head was starting to spin.

"I-I really don't think that's such a safe idea," Kanaya said.

"Are you going to be like the rest here? God, I thought you were better than that. How disappointing,"

"Vriska, please don't leave. I think you're underestimating our opponents,"

Vriska looked at Kanaya, trying to get some insight as to what she meant by that. "You really think so?"

"You saw what they did to our family? Our people? You know this,"

Vriska sighed. "Fine, whatever. I'll just rot my ass here, doing absolutely nothing!" she complained. She went to her room in a huff.

Kanaya should have felt relief. She should have trusted Vriska's answer. But she knew Vriska far too well to entirely believe her.

* * *

The day was rough for everyone. After the incident that morning, all they could do is sleep in the morning. At night was when they got stuff done; a few of them would go out to get food, while the rest wasted the night away. Nothing much to do when you're refugees.

This night, no one could sleep. Creaking wasn't unnatural, since everyone was restless. But near sundown, Nepeta was certain she heard creaking by the front door... and maybe a door shutting carefully, like someone was trying to keep quiet. She had quite good hearing. She considered telling Karkitty or Equius about this curious occurrence.

But there was only an hour or so until night... and she did need at least a little sleep. She was going to search for food that night. So, passing it off for a settling household, she curled up in her blankets and went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again, I'm back for the holiday season, with apologies abound!**

**Again, I have been gone a long while. I apologize. Part of it is again, school and work. But it's also trying to figure out how to make this story work, how to make it better. I really think the second chapter isn't as strong as the first. I ended up finding notes I made months ago on my iPod about the plot, which I had forgot. It's not bad, just need to working it into what I have so far, which shouldn't be too hard. So enjoy chapter 3, and keep giving reviews! I keep them all into mind when I write these, so thanks to whomever has written one in the past.**

**Happy Holidays,**

**-Oleander Grimm**

**Chapter 3**

John spent the first week in mourning. Dave's Bro allowed him this. But after that first week, Bro set him to training. Firearm training, hand-to-hand combat, offensive and defensive. This was the sort of thing John longed to learn, but it came at the cost of his father's life. He went into it halfheartedly.

Eventually, John would have to join in scouting outside, but it reminded him of his stupid, reckless decision.

During another nightly meeting with the adults, the kids met up to discuss John's attitude. The last thing John wanted was an intervention, but Dave was firm about this.

"You need to pull it together. This isn't like you," he stated.

"I lost my fucking dad. I'm not going to be okay," John snapped.

"John, so has about 90% of the remaining population. You aren't the only orphan out there," Rose pointed out. John glared at her for taking Dave's side.

"We gave you a moment of grieve. Now if we all want to survive this hell, we all need to pull our own weight," Dave said. "Your dad wouldn't want to see you like this. You want to make him proud? Then start fighting for real,"

"You don't get it! I can't make him proud! He's dead! _I fucked up!_ He's dead, and it's all my fault!" John shouted, getting into Dave's face.

"Don't say that John!" Jade said. "And Dave, that's not nice to say,"

"It's the truth," Dave said simply. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm getting some AJ. You think about what I said John, right?" He then got up for the kitchen.

Jade and Rose looked to John to see what he would do.

"John, please, it's not your fault. Everyone makes mistakes!" Jade tried to cheer him up.

"That was before the demons showed up. We can't afford to make mistake like me," John said, leaving them both.

The compound was fairly large, yet it felt like John could get no privacy. Even if there was no one in the room at the time, anyone could walk in at any time, and it made John feel jumpy. Even his room didn't cut it- he shared a room with Dave, and he was the last person John wanted to see. The best he could do was go to bed early and pretend to be asleep when anyone tries to talk to him. No one fell for it, but they got the message just fine.

The next day, John was supposed to help with scouting with the Lalondes. It would be the first time back outside since his dad's death. He felt a burning sensation in the back of his throat. He didn't think he could do this.

"It will be fine, John. We aren't going too far out from the compound for your first time," Rose explained as they got their weapons.

"What are we looking for?" John asked.

"We have this area well mapped out. This is solely to train you and familiarize yourself with our surroundings. But usually, we look for anything useful or unusual in the area. If you do see anything questionable, tell my mother immediately,"

John nodded.

"We can even leave early, if we must. There will be no demons-"

"I know, Rose. Demons never go out during the day, I'm not stupid,"

"I never implied that. But you are nervous. It is reasonable, but you need to start-"

"Pulling my own weight?" John accused.

"I never implied that either," Rose repeated, though this time her voice sounded less sure. John shook his head and walked ahead without her.

Like the other days, Jade's grandfather opened the gates for them, and closed it behind them once they were out.

They walked about 15 minutes away from the compound, when they 'split up' in a triangle formation about 25 feet away from each other. They'll walk in the same direction for half the day, then head back to the compound. Always within reach, if everyone followed directions.

John walked with them, but he paid little attention to his surroundings. It was just like when he left on his own; though he has only been through these ruins once, it haunts him at night. The harlequins chase him in an endless loop through the ruins, led by his father. He was a hybrid demon in his dreams; half eaten with a black substance oozing out of his wounds. A harlequin costume was growing in patches, and his eyes were a glassy white, staring at John. Somehow, John saw disappointment in those eyes.

_I have nothing to be proud of._

Dwell on the ruins for too long, and he was sure he'd puke up what little breakfast he ate that morning.

They walked for hours. Though John knew the Lalondes weren't far away, they often disappeared behind crumbling buildings. Oftentimes, John felt he heard crunching gravel nearby, but he assumed it was just Rose or her mother. Still, it seemed too close to be them...

There it was, that noise again, as if someone was walking nearby. Curiosity got the best of him, pulling him into what once was a department store. The building was in surprisingly good shape, save for a gaping hole in the back of the store. John walked with his eyes to the ground to avoid the blank stares of the store mannequins. They weren't going to come back to life, he knew. And maybe he wouldn't be bothered by these if they didn't have badly painted eyes.

_Why do we make these things? Really, anything made to look somewhat human is creepy, like you expect them to pop out and scare you, like an old haunted house scare._

The noise sounded like it was by the light. Against better judgment, John continued towards it. The large hole revealed a basement, the door to the stairs fallen among the rubble of the wall. From the entrance, you couldn't see the stairs. Still, there was enough room to go around the concrete and down the stairs.

Everyone got a small windup flashlight when they went out, clipped to their belt-loops. John took his out and started it up. It gave off a bright, yet small, beam of light, enough to get him down the stairs without falling. The stairs were cracked, split diagonally down, and John would have certainly tripped if he didn't have his light. The whole way down, he had his hammer at the ready in case he woke up a sleeping demon. Did demons sleep? John wasn't sure what they did when the sun was up.

At the last step, John shone his light at the floor for safety's sake. Dave once told him of how a demon almost got him by waiting at the bottom of a stairs. It would be so easy, to fall victim to a demon, to become a hybrid. The cost clear, John took the last step and looked around the room.

It was a small generator room, rusted from lack of use. Maybe it was for backup power in case of a power outage? Whatever the use, it won't work now. Scrap metal was scattered all over the place, with a reddish color that John hoped was also rust. The dust coated walls absorbed sound well, making John feel more alone than before. The night before, he so eagerly sought out privacy, yet here in the basement he longed for any company. Even Dave, despite what he said last night.

John thought they could use some parts if any were still good. He walked carefully across the room. It seemed like he got lucky. No demons. So what was coming through here to make that noise?

John ran his hand over the generator. It seemed like someone already came through here, on closer inspection. Maybe even someone from his group, long ago. Slightly disappointed, John was about to leave, when his flashlight lit up a human-shaped shadow against the wall behind the generator.

John froze. Could this be who made the noise?

Not a second had past, and the flashlight died out, but not before he saw the shadow move, as if it notice him.

"Dammit!" John swore, trying to wind up the flashlight with one hand, wielding the hammer in the other, and backing up to the stairs as quickly as possible. He didn't know how long he has, but he heard the...thing, the thing move out of its hiding spot.

"Huh-Hggn!" A clatter of metal and a _thud!_ later, and John found himself sprawled on the floor, the warmth of blood spreading across his cheek, and his hammer out of his reach. Without his light, he hadn't notice the scraps of useless metal left behind by the room's previous visitor. If the demon hadn't noticed him yet- which wasn't likely- it could smell his blood now. He was as good as dead.

_What rotten luck,_ John thought, _but maybe I deserve this._

At a whim, John got out and turned on the flashlight, with what little charge he got into it, to see his attacker. It wouldn't help him in any case- they learned quickly after they rose that artificial light wasn't the same as sunlight.

It was just upon him when he turned on his light. For some reason, it froze, and John got a good look at his attacker. She- he thought it was a she?- she looked like a normal human with short, black hair and black eyes, save for having grey skin and a pair of orange horns on her head, one straight, one bent at the end. She had a jagged scrap of metal, sharp enough to draw blood. That was what terrified John the most: this demon was smart enough to arm herself. He wanted to called for help, or at least warn the Lalondes of this new threat, but they must be far from earshot. Who knew how many more of them were out there?

After they both got a second of observing the other, the female approached John and spoke, very clearly.

"If you call for your human companions, I will not hesitate to kill you,"


End file.
